


Uzumaki Family Reunion

by porygonkin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Family, Family Reunions, Other, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 21:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12021738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porygonkin/pseuds/porygonkin
Summary: When Naruto discovered the history of the Uzumaki clan, he didn't expect it to affect his life so substantially. But when Sasuke revealed that one of his teammates was from the same clan, Naruto knew he had to get answers. And in a shady hideout over a cup of tea, the question was posed.





	Uzumaki Family Reunion

Karin and Naruto sat across from one another, an uncomfortable silence hovering between them. Two cups of tea sat untouched, Karin fiddling with her cup nervously, trying to focus on that instead of the man in front of her. Naruto, mouth covered by his hands as he rested his elbows on the table, had his eyes fixated on Karin, waiting for an answer to his query.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Karin sighed and leaned forward.

“What do you want, Naruto? What is it?”

She took a long sip from her cup, eyeing him warily over the rim of it. “Did Sasuke have a message for me? And if so, why didn’t he deliver it himself? Is he too busy with - “ she started grumbling - “Sakura now?”

“No, okay, no, just…it’s not about Sasuke,” Naruto said, having heard quite enough. “It’s about something he told me before he left earlier this week.”

“And what’s that?” Karin asked, now less interested.

“He said that you and I are related.”

Mid-sip, Karin coughed and began choking on her tea, taken aback by Naruto’s proclamation. As her coughing fit began to subside, she attempted to regain her composure, leaning back in her chair and taking in deep breaths to clear her windpipe.

“I, uh…no, you know what? There’s no point in lying about this.” She stood up and turned to walk into one of the dark hallways behind her. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes, I have to go grab some things.”

Naruto took that as implicit confirmation of what Sasuke had told him, and stared into his cup of cold tea, mulling over the implications. His mother never had the chance to tell him about his heritage, being more concerned with helping him quell the Nine-Tails during their brief meeting in his mind. Konohagakure’s record-keeping on the Uzumaki clan was frustratingly spotty, ending abruptly with the destruction of Uzushiogakure, featuring only passing references to Naruto’s mother, as well as her predecessor as the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki, Mito. Kakashi’s personal knowledge was just as limited, as the clan’s diaspora had occurred before his birth.

Growing up, Naruto longed for a family, or even just the hint of one, any component he could latch onto. He’d been made out to be an outcast in Konohagakure, without even a history attached to his name. At least Sasuke was held up as the last of the Uchiha, even if that legacy had been strapped to his back his entire life. Naruto would have traded places with Sasuke in an instant, just to know the feeling of having a family at all.

The discovery that he was part of an ancient, storied clan of ninja shook him, and the fact that his clan essentially no longer existed was just another reminder of how little he’d grown up with. Despite his yearnings, the Uzumaki clan was no more than a concept - an idea, a page in the history books. There was no family to be found, or so he believed. His resignation to the facts of his life and heritage had calmed his desire for knowledge, until Sasuke told him about Karin.

Naruto didn’t quite know what to make of her. Their interactions had been limited almost entirely to cleaning up after the end of the war; Karin disappeared the moment she had the chance, in order to avoid any potential incarceration once Konohagakure was functional again. All he knew was what he could pry out of Sasuke the few times they’d met since the war ended several months ago. The fact that Naruto tracked her down to one of Orochimaru’s old hideouts, though, wasn’t the best first impression she could have given him. But she hadn’t expected him anyway.

Naruto was abruptly shaken out of his reverie by Karin slamming a large box down on the table between them, letting out a huff as she sat down.

“What’s all this?” Naruto asked, craning his neck to try and see the box’s contents.

“Records,” Karin replied. “From my mother.”

She rummaged around the box for a minute, pulling out a large scroll from the bottom of it. The scroll unrolled across the table, revealing a large, intricate family tree, seeming to stretch back several generations.

Naruto stared, slack-jawed, as he stared at a remarkably extensive history of his clan, the family he’d never had a chance to know or understand. It didn’t seem to be complete; several branches ended with question marks, and there were numerous gaps in chronology all across the scroll. But this was far, far more than Naruto had ever imagined when he first discovered his clan.

“This is…incredible, Karin,” he said, poring over the scroll. There were so many names that he was having trouble pinpointing his mother on it, if she was there at all.

Karin nodded, and began pulling out more heirlooms and artifacts from the box, placing them around the scroll.

“The Uzumaki clan is one of the most storied clans in history, Naruto. Nearly every major sealing jutsu used by shinobi can be traced back to an Uzumaki originator. The seal on your stomach, in particular, is an Uzumaki original, which your father probably learned directly from your mother.”

Karin pointed at the top edge of the scroll, where the clan’s tree originates. At the top was a single name, that of Hagoromo Otsutsuki’s younger son, Asura. 

“As the scroll shows, we all came from Asura Otsutsuki - I thought that was just a myth passed down through our families, but the war proved me wrong - and the entire clan is imbued with his vitality and endurance. They say he lived to be nearly three hundred years old. That’s why you and I - and I know you’ve noticed this - are able to endure and power through so much more punishment than other people. It’s why I can hand out my chakra like candy to people, and why you can apparently make thousands of shadow clones without even feeling it. We’re built differently.”

“Built differently…” Naruto looked down at his palm, considering the seamless skin, which looked as though he’d never thrown a punch in his life. It was the product of Kurama’s accelerated healing - he’d always been told that the process would shorten his life expectancy, but the knowledge of his increased vitality due to his Uzumaki heritage meant that a shortened lifespan meant little to him. If anything, Naruto would merely die at a hundred and ten, instead of two hundred.

That hand and arm was a stark contrast to his other, permanently wrapped in bandages to hide that it was a Zetsu arm, grown and attached to him to replace the limb lost in his final conflict with Sasuke Uchiha, immediately after the war. A small price to pay for bringing a beloved friend out of the darkness. Even Kurama’s healing had its limits.

Karin looked over the scroll, seemingly trying to find one branch in particular. When she did, she put a finger under it.

“Naruto.”

“What?”

“I want you to look at this branch.”

He leaned forward and followed it down. There were several names he didn’t recognize, but as he followed them to the point where Karin’s finger pointed, his eyes widened. 

It was one bracket, with two names. Fumio Uzumaki…and Kushina Uzumaki.

“W-What?” he said, his brows furrowed.

“Sisters,” Karin replied. “And under them?”

Under Kushina’s name was nothing - it looked like whoever prepared the scroll lost track of her at that point. Minato’s name wasn’t next to Kushina’s, either. But under Fumio’s name was one that Naruto was expecting, but was still shocked to see.

Karin Uzumaki.

“Wait, hold on,” Naruto said, scratching his head. “So that means, you and I…?”

“Cousins, yes,” she said, rubbing her arm. Naruto thought he saw a faint blush come across her face. “First cousins. Your mother and mine were sisters. My mother talked about her all the time when I was a child. Before Uzushiogakure fell, Kushina was sent away to Konohagakure. My mother never found out why. I don’t think Kushina even knew, when she was sent away.”

Karin sat back down and adjusted her glasses. 

“When Uzushiogakure fell and my mother and I had to find a new home, we settled in Kusagakure. They let her stay, but only if she agreed to be the village’s primary healer. The third war meant that she had to work constantly, and the drain on her life force by healing so many people exhausted her every day. Eventually, there were just too many, and she couldn’t take it any more. They literally sucked the life right out of her and she died in a hospital bunker, surrounded by hardened, unfeeling ninja who cared only for their own well-being.”

She rolled up a sleeve, and Naruto had to fight not to recoil at the countless bite marks embedded in her skin, some faded and smooth, others looking as though they had just been inflicted.

“I inherited that duty. It nearly killed me, too. It was only by chance that Orochimaru razed the village and found me. All that time, I thought I had been left alone, with no family left. My mother died not knowing what happened to her beloved sister, and I never knew that I still had family somewhere.”

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, seemingly to stop the tears that had begun to spill out. Naruto sat and watched in uncomfortable silence, trying to process everything he’d just been told.

Family. Right across the table from him. All this time, his mother’s sister was miles away, trapped in a village that gave no consideration to her heritage, that only wanted her for her abilities. It made him angry to think that a true, close relative of his had been taken away without him even getting the chance to know about her. 

But here was Karin. Karin Uzumaki. His mother’s niece; his cousin. The first family member he’d ever met in the flesh, not as some strange reanimated facsimile, or a chakra ghost in his mind. Real, tangible family.

Naruto stood up and circled around the table. Karin, still wiping her face, looked up at him, wary of whatever Naruto had in mind. 

“What are you - ah!” she was cut off when Naruto abruptly leaned down and pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight against his chest. 

“Wh - what the hell -“ Karin tried to pull away from Naruto’s grip, unsettled by the physical contact, but found herself comforted by his chakra as it enveloped her. She remembered the first time they’d encountered each other, the warmth of Naruto’s chakra, how it encompassed everything around him. It was a stark contrast to Sasuke, then at his darkest point, whose chakra instead felt like a black hole, threatening to suck in and crush anything that came near him. 

She began to lean into the hug a little. As simple as a gesture it was from him, it was a feeling Karin hadn’t had in many years. She realized, in that moment, why Naruto’s chakra felt so familiar.

It was just like her mother’s.

“Naruto -“

“I’m so sorry, Karin.”

Karin fell silent, taken aback by Naruto’s sudden proclamation. When he pulled back from the hug, he had a soft, somber expression on his face.

“Sorry? Sorry for what?” she asked. Naruto chuckled for a moment and covered his face with his bandaged, artificial hand.

“I’m sorry that - that we never knew about each other until now, I guess.” Naruto walked back to his seat across the table and plopped down, taking a swig of the tea still sitting on the table.

“We’ve both been through a lot of things, and knowing that there was family out there would’ve made it a lot easier,” he continued. “And Konohagakure - we’re supposed to be partners with Uzushiogakure, and yet the village has neglected that connection for so long, letting people like your mom and you slip away and suffer.”

He looked back down at the family tree on the table. “When I become Hokage, I won’t ever let that happen again.”

Karin fiddled with her hair, immensely uncomfortable and baffled by Naruto’s proclamations about family and sticking together. And yet, even with that, the thought was…comforting. If Karin ever wanted to return to the leaf village - not that she would - there would at least be one friendly face there for her.

“Naruto.”

When Naruto looked back up at Karin, he was immediately greeted by Karin smacking him on the head with a scroll from the box.

“OW! What was that for??” he whined, rubbing his head.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

Karin set the scroll back in the box, and began to roll up the family tree, as well.

“Us not being connected the way you think we should have wasn’t anyone’s fault. Everyone had to fend for themselves when the village fell. And honestly, I’m sure that was either kept from Kushina, or she was ‘encouraged’ not to look into it. Your village isn’t known for honesty and integrity, after all - just look at how you were raised.”

“That’s in the past,” Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms, his eyes closing into fox-like slits. Karin let out a light giggle at his childishness, shaking her head.

“You’re right. The past is in the past. The things we had to endure in our lives - those are never going away. Those are scars, just like my bite marks. Just like that arm of yours. We can’t change that now.”

She reached into the box again, digging around the bottom of it for a moment. When her hand re-emerged, it was clutching a heavily-worn, faded, but intact, stuffed frog doll.

“Here. Take this back with you.”

Naruto took it from her, furrowing his brow as he turned it over in his hands. The frog’s stuffing had been compressed to the point where most of its body was limp, the color had faded from what was certainly a strong, healthy green, to a very light mint, and there was the faintest unpleasant smell emanating from it. But something about it, just holding the frog in his hands, felt familiar.

“I can see the gears in your head whirring, trying to figure out how this frog is some great symbol in the lore of the Uzumaki clan,” Karin teased, smirking. “But really, it’s just a stuffed frog. When our mothers were kids, our grandmother made them both stuffed dolls. My mother got a pig; yours got that frog.”

Naruto’s eyes widened, and his grip tightened. “My mom’s…?”

“The way my mother tells it, they both thought the stuffed dolls were comments on their personalities,” Karin continued, pulling out a much more beat-up stuffed pig from the box. “But they held onto them, until your mother was sent away. My mother…she tried so hard to get her to take the frog. But your mother said, ‘No, how will you remember me if I don’t leave this behind?’”

“Karin…” Naruto said, breathless as he continued to stare at the stuffed frog in his hands. Across the table, Karin set the pig down, and began to repack the box. She patted the lid after replacing it, brushing a bit of stray dust from it.

“I didn’t ask for you to come here. I had no idea Sasuke would tell you about our…heritage, and I was content to just keep it to myself, to be honest. It’s not something I like to think about very much, as you might imagine. Sometimes it just feels like a distraction. And I don’t want…I don’t want you to try and shove me into your life, like suddenly we’re going to be super close siblings. It’s too late for that. You and I both know that.”

Naruto frowned, but did not respond.

“But I am glad that you know, now. I think it would have been selfish of me to keep it from you, but I know myself well enough to know that I was never going to volunteer any of this information to you. So thank you, I suppose, for being nosy.”

She blushed a little bit.

“And if you ever, you know, if you ever want f-family over for a holiday or something like that, you can always send me a message. I’ll be here.”

Naruto’s expression was blank, initially, but he quickly broke out into a big, beaming smile.

“Absolutely! You’ll always be welcome!” He stood up and adjusted his cloak, tucking the frog into one of the interior pockets. “I have to get going, but…I’m glad I know about all of this, now. I really am.”

Karin simply nodded in response, still embarrassed from her promise earlier. She guided Naruto back out of the hideout, the two of them walking through the halls in a comfortable silence. No more words needed to be exchanged.

At the entrance to the hideout, now hidden behind a modified sealing jutsu, Naruto prepared to embark on his quick journey back to Konohagakure. Before he did, however, he turned back to Karin, and held out his fist.

“What is this?” Karin asked, looking down at his hand.

“A fist bump between cousins!” he replied, without a hint of insincerity. That stupid smile reinforced his genuine intentions.

Karin rolled her eyes and shook her head, but after a moment, lightly bump her hand against his. Naruto smiled even wider and laughed, waved, and was gone in a flash, bounding through the trees. Karin covered her face and laughed at the absurdity of it. But she stayed outside, looking in the direction Naruto left in, for a long while.

“Family, huh.”

+++

In the heart of winter, several weeks after her encounter with Naruto, Karin stepped outside of the hideout to take in a breath of the fresh, frigid air. As she did so, she noticed a hawk perched on the nearest tree, staring down at her. When she made eye contact, it tilted its head, then swooped down and landed on her shoulder, offering a note attached to its leg. Confused, she took the note, and the hawk immediately launched and flew away, high above the forest.

She looked down at the small scroll, rolled up and tied closed with a thread. Was it really…?

As she read the note, Karin’s grin grew wider and wider. Naruto had kept his word; the invitation was for a Christmas dinner, just the two of them, in Konohagakure. And, apparently, at his favorite…restaurant…

“Ramen??”

**Author's Note:**

> See, you may have read my Marvel stuff from last year, but did you know that I'm also Naruto trash? It's really the worst combination.
> 
> I've been reading Naruto (and Boruto now) for ten years. It's, by far, my favorite long-running manga and anime series, even with all of its typical shonen flaws. And there are plenty of them. But one thing that always bothered me far more than anything else is how Kishimoto handled the reveal of the Uzumaki clan. 
> 
> Not only does it take away from Naruto's Part I character arc - the orphan, hated by his village, with no one to rely on but himself, and no support or indication that he's "special" except for a demon locked away in his stomach - by showing that Naruto, all along, had the pedigree to be a truly great ninja, but Kishimoto refuses, right up through the end of the manga, to give us any satisfaction in regards to the connections that he makes with the Uzumaki clan. Remember Nagato? Guess what, he was related to Naruto! But not even once was this addressed anywhere. You would think Naruto would be over the damn moon to meet a family member. But he never finds out.
> 
> But at least Nagato is dead, and never really had the chance to get into his heritage. Karin, though? She's RIGHT THERE, she's Sasuke's old teammate, and not once does she think "huh, that Naruto Uzumaki guy, maybe I should get in touch with him about his last name." The destruction of Uzushiogakure wasn't that far back in the series timeline, maybe thirty years before Part I at the most. Kushina is FROM THAT VILLAGE. It's so frustrating that this entire history is locked away from Naruto because Kishimoto didn't feel like introducing it, or even giving us supplementary material regarding it. Admittedly, the nature of the war arc would have made a character moment like this difficult to pull off. Maybe a longer epilogue? A Gaiden? Even just one of the post-series books, there's like eight of them, throw us a bone.
> 
> Karin feels like an underappreciated character, too. It took a while for Kishimoto to write her in a way that wasn't obnoxious, but once she grew past those rapid mood swings that made her mostly a comic relief straggler in Sasuke's team, and the story delved more into what she was capable of, she became very interesting to me. Especially when she just busted out the fucking chakra chains in the war arc. That was nuts.
> 
> So I wrote this to fill the gap. I tried to nail down Karin's character - cynical and sharp-edged in general, but I'd imagine that, confronted with something like this, she would soften up and at least provide real answers for Naruto. I haven't read all of the post-series books that fill in the gap between Naruto and Boruto, so this might contradict something in terms of Naruto's timeline and what he would be available to do, but I don't think that's a big concern. I do hope that I at least got his potential reactions right.
> 
> I don't anticipate doing much Naruto stuff beyond this, if any, but I had to get this out of my system. Thanks!!


End file.
